18 h. ago Trump’s talk of film tariffs makes no sense, but it’s already doing damage – to Hollywood | Peter Bradshaw

The US president’s bizarre talk of 100% levies on films from ‘foreign lands’ combines trolling with a hazy grasp of factsAnother day, another bizarre, mischievous, headline-hogging pronouncement from the US president.Steve Bannon famously advised him to flood the zone with shit – a Maga-Maoist permanent revolution of provocative, toxic nonsense. Trump is flooding the zone with tariffs, then he pauses, walks back and climbs down on tariffs, and then adds more tariffs. The latest is his bizarre plan to hit movies made in “foreign lands” with 100% tariffs. He has solemnly announced his grave concern that Hollywood was “dying” at the hands of foreigners like the UK, who give tax breaks to multinationals. Continue reading...

Politics

54 h. ago Chinese exporters ‘wash’ products in third countries to avoid Trump tariffs

Asian neighbours wary of becoming staging posts for trade actually destined for US

Politics

61 h. ago How the stock market made back all its losses after Trump escalated the trade war

It felt much longer, but the U_S_ stock market needed just a few weeks to roar all the way back to where it was on President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day.”

Politics

5 d. ago Apple to report quarterly earnings amid Trump trade policy chaos

Trump said consumer electronics will be exempted from his soaring tariffs on China but it is unclear for how longInvestors have their eyes on Apple as it prepares to report financial results of the second quarter of the fiscal year on Thursday. The tech giant has been working to calm nervous analysts after Donald Trump levied sweeping tariffs on countries around the world that are likely to complicate supply chains for consumer electronics. Since the beginning of the year, Apple’s stock has slumped 16%.In anticipation of its earnings report, the company’s stock notched up slightly on Wednesday. Analysts are predicting a positive quarter for Apple with an average revenue estimate of $94.56bn, up 4.2% over last year, and earnings of $1.62 per share, up 5.8%. The company, worth $3.2tn, has beaten Wall Street’s expectations for the previous four quarters. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Trump administration readies first sale of military equipment to Ukraine

State department certifies licence for ‘$50m or more’ in defence hardware and services after minerals deal signedThe Trump administration will approve its first sale of military equipment to Ukraine since Donald Trump took office, in an indication that the minerals deal signed by the two countries this week may open a path to renewed weapons shipments.The state department has certified a proposed licence to export “$50m or more” (£37.6m) of defence hardware and services to Ukraine, according to a communication sent to the US committee on foreign relations. It would mark the first permission of its kind since Trump paused all Ukraine-related military aid shortly after taking office. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Outrage over 'automatic' price rises plan to punish Scots drinkers even more

Drinkers face another hike in the cost of alcohol under plans for a ramping-up of the SNP's controversial minimum pricing policy.

Politics

6 d. ago How your cup of coffee might become more expensive thanks to Donald Trump

President Donald Trump's current 10 per cent tariffs cover most coffee-producing countries and are expected to drive up costs

Politics

6 d. ago Plan to give council chief executives £19,000 pay hike shelved

A proposal that triggered a backlash has been deferred by council chiefs.

Economics

1 week ago Trump claims China's President Xi called HIM amid tariffs drama and makes odd comparison regarding their chat

President Donald Trump claimed that China's President Xi Jinping called him amid the countries' tariff drama - as China continued to dispute that trade talks are happening.

Politics

1 week ago Swiss leader says Trump administration foresees ‘privileged’ talks with 15 countries on US tariffs – US politics live

Karin Keller-Sutter, Swiss president, says Switzerland is among 15 countries with which US plans to hold negotiations to reach deals over tariffsThe Swiss president says Switzerland is among 15 countries with which the United States plans to conduct “privileged” negotiations to help reach a deal after sweeping US tariffs on dozens of countries that have shaken global markets, reports the Associated Press (AP).Karin Keller-Sutter, in an interview with broadcaster SRF published Friday, said she was “satisfied” with talks in Washington this week that included an International Monetary Fund conference and her one-on-one meeting with US treasury secretary Scott Bessent. Keller-Sutter also serves as Switzerland’s finance minister. “The United States has defined a group of 15 countries with which it wants to find a quick solution in this tariff question. Switzerland is part of this group of these 15 countries,” she told reporters separately late on Thursday in Washington, according to the ...

Politics

1 week ago Swiss leader says Trump administration foresees 'privileged' talks with 15 countries on US tariffs

The Swiss president says Switzerland is among 15 countries with which the United States plans to conduct “privileged” negotiations to help reach a deal in the wake of sweeping U.S. tariffs on dozens of countries that have shaken global markets

Politics

1 week ago IMF warns that trade tensions could test stability of world economy; Reeves ‘confident’ about US trade deal – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsDonald Trump’s tariffs will make it harder for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s car division, Ineos Automotive, to reach its first profit.Ineos Automotive’s CEO, Lynn Calder, told Bloomberg that the US president’s 25% tariff on foreign cars will make it harder to hit the earnings target.“For sure, this last week has put a dent in that and, for sure, delayed it,”“We’re stubborn as mules. We’re not easy to knock down.”“With fieldwork completed just days after Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, it is unsurprising that consumer expectations for the economy plummeted to a record low. The original tariff schedule, since reduced for most countries, was expected to reduce growth in the UK and elsewhere. Yet despite this economic pessimism, expectations of retail spending rose slightly as the prospect of Easter shopping drew closer.The state of the economy dropped significantly to -48 in April, down from -35 in March.Their personal financial...

Events

1 week ago US trade war fears drive UK consumer confidence down to record low; Tesla’s European sales fall again – business live

Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsDonald Trump’s tariffs will make it harder for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s car division, Ineos Automotive, to reach its first profit.Ineos Automotive’s CEO, Lynn Calder, told Bloomberg that the US president’s 25% tariff on foreign cars will make it harder to hit the earnings target.“For sure, this last week has put a dent in that and, for sure, delayed it,”“We’re stubborn as mules. We’re not easy to knock down.”“With fieldwork completed just days after Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, it is unsurprising that consumer expectations for the economy plummeted to a record low. The original tariff schedule, since reduced for most countries, was expected to reduce growth in the UK and elsewhere. Yet despite this economic pessimism, expectations of retail spending rose slightly as the prospect of Easter shopping drew closer.The state of the economy dropped significantly to -48 in April, down from -35 in March.Their personal financial...

Economics

1 week ago Stock markets rise as Trump backtracks on high China tariffs and firing Fed chair

Weeks of tough talk from the US president, who now says he will be ‘very nice’ to China, had rattled investors Stock markets have risen around the world after Donald Trump said his tariffs on China would come down “substantially” and he had “no intention” of firing the chair of the US central bank, Jay Powell.Weeks of tough talk on trade from White House officials have rattled investors and Trump now appears to be softening his tone. The president told reporters in Washington on Tuesday he planned to be “very nice” to China in trade talks and that tariffs could drop in both countries if they could reach a deal, adding: “It will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago White House insists it can still seal 75 trade deals in 90 days – but says it’s currently only in talks with 34 countries

Trump administration isn’t backing down from raising import taxes despite warnings of an impending recession as a result of higher tariffs

Society

2 w. ago Experts warn Trump’s trade war with China could erupt into a cold war

Earlier this month, Trump temporarily paused most tariffs while ratcheting up rates on China

Events

2 w. ago Appeals court pauses Judge Boasberg’s contempt probe against Trump administration

A federal appeals court late Friday temporarily halted U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s contempt investigation against the Trump administration after he accused officials of failing to comply with his order regarding deportation flights to El Salvador last month.

Events

2 w. ago Judges pauses Trump policy restricting passport choices for transgender people, finding it’s rooted in ‘irrational prejudice’

Judge found that group of nonbinary and transgender plaintiffs were likely to succeed on argument that Trump administration violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection

Events

2 w. ago Judges pauses Trump policy restricting transgender passport choices, finding it’s rooted in ‘irrational prejudice’

Judge found that group of nonbinary and transgender plaintiffs were likely to succeed on argument that Trump administration violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection

Events

2 w. ago Federal judge pausing Trump administration's plans for mass layoffs at the CFPB

A federal judge who blocked the Trump administration from dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ruled that the agency can’t go forward immediately with plans to mass fire hundreds of employees

Politics